Ministers should introduce statutory regulation for counsellors and psychotherapists to protect the public from abuse, according to a report that has been hailed as a “watershed moment” for the profession. Unlike most other healthcare roles, including doctors, midwives and osteopaths, “psychotherapist” and “counsellor” are not protected titles nor statutorily regulated professions in the UK. This means that anyone can call themselves a therapist without a qualification, and can continue to practise even after an episode of misconduct, under a system that is poorly understood by the public.
For the first time, the professional bodies that represent counsellors and psychotherapists, and which run the current voluntary accreditation scheme, are calling for statutory regulation to boost confidence in the profession and protect the public from the growing number of cases of abuse and malpractice. The report, the culmination of an independent review launched in October 2025 by the Commission for the Future of Counselling and Psychotherapy, argues that counsellors and psychotherapists are an untapped resource that could fill a mental health treatment gap estimated at about 1.8 million people on waiting lists. Practitioners told the commission they had extra capacity, which the report estimated could cumulatively provide more than 370,000 hours of additional therapy appointments every week.
The commission co-chair Phil Hope, a former Labour minister for care services, said: “For me, the report became a bit of a watershed moment for the profession, a real landmark of the opportunity there is for the government, and all its departments really, to unlock that potential.” Ella Janneh, who successfully sued her therapist in the high court for rape and sexual assault in 2024, and has campaigned for regulation with the support of the law firm Leigh Day, welcomed the “collective call for regulation”. She said it had taken “years and a lot of honest and difficult conversations between victims, other campaigners and conscientious professionals”. The current lack of centralised regulation allows for repeat offenders to continue practising with no oversight.
That is reason enough to bring in regulation,” Janneh said. The report cites her “powerful testimony” as an illustration of the “devastating, ongoing impact” the absence of statutory regulation can have, since her therapist is still able to practise despite the outcome of her civil case. They only realise it’s not when something’s gone wrong … Currently your Friday night kebab is subject to stronger regulation than a therapist who sits in rooms alone with vulnerable people.” The report’s co-chair Andrea Sutcliffe, the former chief executive of the Nursing and Midwifery Council and an expert on regulation, said: “We’ve been on a journey around regulation with counselling and psychotherapy over many, many, many years, and the coalition government set its face against statutory regulation in 2011.
What the government asks for is a compelling case for statutory regulation because it costs and [it’s not] an easy thing to do … but as independent co-chairs, we feel that a compelling case exists.” Regulation was especially important for counselling and psychotherapy because they were complex interventions requiring years of training to practise, Sutcliffe said. Therapy takes place in a one-on-one setting; most practitioners are independent, meaning there is no employer oversight; and their patients are typically vulnerable people. That’s not what we do for choosing a brain surgeon or a cardiologist.
We expect those things,” she said, adding that the lack of regulation contributed to misconceptions and mistrust, which prevented people from seeking help. Regulation would also be helpful in setting standards for education, training and development, Sutcliffe said. The report noted that this would also improve diversity in the profession, which is much needed.
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